Combination welder&#39;s face shield and helmet



Dec. 11, 1951 BUB 2,578,171

COMBINATION WELDERS FACE SHIELD AND HELMET Filed Aug. 50, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 I N VEN TOR.

Dec. 11 1951 Filed Aug. 30,

R. A. BUB 7 COMBINATION WELDERS FACE SHIELD AND HELMET 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR.

M 2 7- TOP/V5 Y6.

Patented Dec. 11, 1951 COMBINATION WELDERS FACE SHIELD AND HELMET Robert A. Bub, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Mine Safety Appliances Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 30, 1950, Serial N0. 182,265

Claims. (Cl. 28)

This invention relates to combination face shields and helmets for welders, and more particularly to the way in which such a shield and helmet are connected. 7

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a combination face shield and helmet in which the shield can be quickly and easily attached to or detached from the helmet, in which this can be done without removing the helmet from the head, in which the shield is automatically locked to the helmet when connected to it, in which the same movement that,

unlocks the connecting means also starts to separate the shield from the helmet, and in which the shield can be swung upward while attached to the helmet.

In accordance with this invention, a pair of blocks are secured to opposite sides of the crown of an industrial helmet near its bottom. Each block has a substantially horizontal opening through it, extending lengthwise (toward the front and back) of the helmet. A pair of brackets are pivotally connected to opposite rear marginal portions of the shield, and a pair of fastening studs are secured to the brackets and project rearwardly from them. The studs are adapted to be inserted in the openings in the blocks in order to detachably connect the shield to the helmet. The studs include means near their rear ends for releasably holding them in the blocks. Preferably, the holding means in-- clude spring-biased means adapted to spring out laterally after having been passed through the block openings. The studs also include means at their rear ends adapted to be pushed forward by the fingers to retract the spring-biased means and to push the studs forward in the blocks so that the shield can be removed from the helmet.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side view showing the shield attached to the helmet and suspended in operative position in front of the face of a person wearing the helmet; Fig. 2 is a plan view with one corner of the shield broken away; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line III-III of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a rigid helmet of the well-known industrial type has the usual visor l projecting from its front end. Secured to the opposite sides of the crown 2, near its lower edge, is a pair of ears or blocks 3 which may be formed from any suitable material and 2 Each block is provided with an opening 5 through it, which is substantially parallel to the lower edge of the crown and which extends lengthwise of that edge.

This helmet may be worn in the usual manner, but when it is desired to attach a welders face shield to it, it is turned around so that the visor will be at the back where it will not interfere with the shield and where it will protect the back of the welders neck. The shield may be a conventional welders shield l which is curved transversely and has substantially parallel rear marginal portions. The front of the shield is provided with a rectangular opening surrounded by a frame 8 in which a lens and a cover glass (not shown) may be mounted in the usual way.

For attaching the shield to the helmet, the opposite rear marginal portions are provided near their upper ends with holes, through each of which a screw ll extends. Mounted on each screw against the inner surface of the helmet is a washer l2 which also engages one side of the forwardly extending portion of an angle bracket l3 that is also mounted on the screw. The other side of this portion of the bracket is engaged by a washer 14 that is pressed tightly against it by means of a coil spring l6 compressed between washer l4 and a nut 11 on the inner end of the screw. The shield thus can be swung upward on the bracket, but the spring pressure creates enough friction to hold the shield in any position to which it is tilted.

Rigidly mounted in the inwardly extending portion of each angle bracket I3 is a rearwardly extending stud l8. This stud may be a wellknown type of fastener which, as shown in Fig. 4, has as its base or front end a headed screw I!) that extends through an opening in the bracket. The screw is held in the bracket by means of lock washers 2| anda nut 22. Encircling the head of the screw and projecting rearwardly therefrom, is a metal shell 23. In the front end of the shell a leaf spring 24 is spaced from the screw by a spacer 26. The upper portion of this spring is curved rearwardly and engages in a notch in the front end of a latch 21. The latch extends back through the shell and has a tapered tooth 28 projecting through a slot in the side of the shell. When it is desired to move the tooth back into the shell, a hollow cap 29, which encircles the rear end of the latch and projects through the opening in the rear end of the shell, is pushed forward in the shell. Pressure of be attached to the crown by means of screws 4. the cap against the inclined surface of the tooth causes the tooth to be swung back into the shell.

The shield is fastened to the helmet by simply inserting the rear ends of studs IS in the block openings 5 and then' pushing backwardly on the shield to cause the studs to slide back through the blocks as far as possible. The latch teeth 28 are pushed into the shells 23 by the walls of openings 5, so the teeth do not interfere with insertion of the studs in the blocks, but as soon as the teeth emerge from the rear ends of those openings they spring outward as shown in Fig. 2 and thereby lock the studs to the helmet.

To disconnect the shield from the helmet, all that it is necessary to do is to push forward on the caps 29 at the rear endsof the studs. The caps will retract the latch teeth, and the pressure of the fingers against the caps will push the studs forward in the blocks so that the teeth cannot spring out again. The shield is then moved forward to pull the studs the rest of the way out of the blocks. It will be seen that the helmet can be left on the head during the operation of attaching the shield to the helmet or removing the shield from it.

According to the provisions of the patent statues, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim;

1. The combination with a welders face shield and an industrial helmet having a rigidcrown, of a pair of fblOCkS secured to opposite sides of the crown near its bottom, each block having a substantially horizontal opening therethrough extending lengthwise of the helmet, a pair of brackets pivotally connected to opposite rear marginal portions of the shield, and a pair of fastening studs secured tothe brackets and projecting rearwardly therefrom relative to the shield, said studs being removably inserted in said block openings to detachably connect the shield to the helmet, and the shield being adapted to be swung upward while attached to the helmet.

2. The combination with a welders face shield and an industrial helmet having a rigid crown, of a pair of blocks secured to opposite sides of the crown near its bottom, each block having a substantially horizontal opening therethrough extending lengthwise of the helmet, a pair of brackets pivotally connected to opposite rear marginal portions of the shield, and a pair of fastening studs secured to the brackets and projecting rearwardly relative to the shield, said studs being removably inserted in said block openings and including means near their rear ends for releasably holding them in the blocks to detachably connect the shield to the helmet, and the shield being adapted to be swungupward while attached to the helmet.

3. The combination with a welders face shield and an industrial helmet having a rigid crown, of a pair of blocks secured to opposite sides of the crown near its bottom, each block having a substantially horizontal opening therethrough extending lengthwise of the helmet, a pair of brackets pivotally'connected to opposite rear marginal portions of the shield, and a pair of fastening studs secured to the brackets and projecting rearwardly therefrom relative to the shield, said studs being slidably inserted in said block openings and including spring-biased means near their rear ends adapted to spring out laterally after having passed through said openings, whereby to removably hold the studs in the blocks, and the shield being adapted to be swung upward while attached to the helmet by means of said studs.

4. The combination with a welders face shield and an industrial helmet having a rigid crown, of a pair of blocks secured to opposite sides of the crown near its bottom, each block having a substantially horizontal opening therethrough extending lengthwise of the helmet, a pair of brackets pivotally connected to opposite rear marginal portions of the shield, and a pair of fastening studs secured to the brackets and projecting rearwardly therefrom relative to the shield, said studs being slidably inserted in said block openings and including spring-biased means near their rear ends adapted to spring out laterally after having passed through said openings to hold the studs in the blocks, the studs also including means at their rear ends adapted to be pushed forward manually to retract said spring-biased means and to push the studs forward so that the shield can be removed from the helmet, and the shield being adapted to be swung upward while attached to the helmet by means of the studs.

5. The combination with a welders face shield and an industrial helmet having a rigid crown, of a pair of blocks secured to opposite sides of the crown near its bottom, each block having a substantially horizontal opening therethrough extending lengthwise of the helmet, a pair of angle brackets each having an inwardly extending portion and a forwardly extending portion, pivot members connecting said forwardly extending portions to opposite rear marginal portions of the shield, springs on said pivot members pressing the brackets and shield together to create friction between them, and a pair of fastening studs secured to said inwardly extending portions of the brackets and projecting rearwardly therefrom relative to the shield, said studs being removably inserted in said-block openings to detachably connect the shield to the helmet, and the shield being adapted tobe swung upward while attached to the helmet.

ROBERT A. BUB.

No references cited. 

